Special Interests
The River Trails Park District offers numerous activities for youth and teens! Check out our current special interest class and Parkour Programs. Youth also enjoy our summer camps, dance and athletic programming.
Chess Scholars
Develop your child’s intellect through the royal game of chess! No previous knowledge of chess is necessary. Each class will consist of a fun interactive teaching period and guided practice time. Both beginner and experienced players are welcome and will get to the next level under the guidance of an experienced Chess Scholars coach. There will also be a chess competition with prizes at the end of the session.
Grade: K-5
Location: Indian Grove School
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Tue | 3:45-4:30pm | Jan 11-Feb 15 | $111/$131 |
| Tue | 3:45-4:30pm | Feb 22-Apr 12 | $130/$150 |
| Tue | 3:45-4:30pm | Apr 19-May 24 | $111/$131 |
Young Magicians
Join us for a fun night of magic and mystery! Magic tricks will be taught that include cards, coins, ropes, and much more! You will discover that the tricks are quick to learn and easy to perform. All materials are provided on site. Each child will receive a magic kit to take home at the end of class. Participants are grouped by age and learn age appropriate tricks. New tricks are taught at each session, so sign up again and again!
Note: These classes take place at Arlington Heights Park District.
Age: 5-12
Location: Arlington Heights Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 5-5:55pm | Feb 7 | $25/$30 |
| Wed | 6:30-7:25pm | Apr 20 | $25/$30 |
SafeSitter Courses
Do you feel ready to stay home alone, watch your brothers and sisters while your parents are gone, or babysit for younger children? Safe Sitter® is for kids and young teens in grades 4–8 ready to learn the skills needed to care for themselves and younger children. Safe Sitter® also teaches young teens life and business skills to be prepared, responsible, and considerate whether they are babysitting or doing odd jobs for family, friends, or neighbors. You’ll have fun and learn a lot. At the end of the day, you can proudly say, “I am a Safe Sitter®!”
Safe@Home
Grade: 4-6
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Sat | 10-11:30am | Feb 12 | $35/$42 |
| Sat | 10-11:30am | May 281 | $35/$42 |
Intro to Safe Babysitting
Grade: 6-8
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Sat | 10-11:30am | Apr 9 | $35/$42 |
Lights, Camera, Action…Superheroes!
Villains won’t stand a chance when we team up your crime-fighting Superheroes! Join us as we summon writers, directors, and editors to make our own superhero movie. Working in teams to create a story and script, create your own background scenes, and film a movie, using your own characters, to help stop crime in our movie city. All students will get a copy of their movie after the class is complete!
Ages: 8-12
Location: Mount Prospect Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7:15pm | Jan 24-Feb 14 | $93/$112 |
Beginning FUN-gineering
Young engineers will build working models of simple machines that use levers, pulleys, gears, wheels, and axles using LEGO Educational kits. Have fun working on activities designed around creativity, exploring, and problem–solving in a fun group environment!
Ages: 4-6
Location: Prospect Heights Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7pm | Feb 28-Mar 14 | $56/$67 |
Robot Engineers
This course builds knowledge of simple machines, engineering, programming, and teamwork using the LEGO WeDo Robotics System, as students use an intuitive, icon–based programming environment, helping to bring their model to life.
Ages: 7-12
Location: Burning Bush Community Center (RTPD)
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7:15pm | Apr 4-25 | $93/$112 |
Reading with Robots
It’s story time with a twist! Once upon a time… Pete the Cat meets our robot Bee Bot, and Give a Mouse a Cookie with Colby the Robot, and many more adventures. This fun hands–on class will feature a different story and robot every week. Children will learn to program and code a robot to create their own exciting adventure!
Ages: 4-6
Location: Mt. Prospect Park District
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Mon | 6-7pm | May 2-23 | $74/$89 |
Children’s Theatre
A weekly musical theatre workshop culminates in a showcase featuring age–appropriate excerpts from smash hit movies and musicals! Students will learn the basics of vocal technique, choreography, and acting while working together to produce an in– class performance for family and friends. Showcase classes are only six weeks long and are a great way for young artists to develop their talents, foster self–confidence, and grow in social skills and team building. The showcase will take place during the last 30 minutes of our final class.
Instructor: Margo Proeh, Gabrielle Garza and Children’s Theatre staff.
Indian Grove students will be walked over by staff to Burning Bush. No class on 3/23.
Grade: K-6
Location: Burning Bush Community Center
| Name | Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Peter Pan and Tinkerbell | Wed | 3:45-4:45pm | Jan 5-Feb 16 | $128/$148 |
| Tangled | Wed | 3:45-4:45pm | Feb 23-Apr 13 | $128/$148 |
| Fairy Tale Island | Wed | 3:45-4:45pm | Apr 20-Jun 1 | $128/$148 |
Smart Start Art
Explore your artistic side with the Smart Art Program from Afterschool Enrichment Solutions. Discover your creativity and imagination as an artist, develop fine-motor skills, style, and vision as we explore different artistic techniques through a variety of inspiring projects and play fun, exciting games. Sketch and draw, shade and color, cut, glue, fold…Create! No experience necessary. No class 3/24.
There will be no class on 9/16 & 11/25.
Grade: K – 4
Location: Euclid School
| Day | Time | Date | Fee (R/NR) |
| Thu | 3:45-4:30pm | Jan 6-Feb 10 | $111/$131 |
| Thu | 3:45-4:30pm | Feb 24-Apr 14 | $130/$150 |
| Thu | 3:45-4:30pm | Apr 21-May 26 | $111/$131 |
